2013.05.22 - A Chance In Hell
The day after the heroic rescue of a bunch truly mutant mutants, Amanda Sefton finds herself back at the scene of the crime, hands on hips, a scowl on her face. When Kurt and Domino didn't show up back at the Institute the night before, she didn't immediately think anything of it -- though it did bug her just a little. Mostly because she wanted to make sure Kurt was okay. But, it was reasonable to assume they'd gone to ground, perhaps somewhere closer. Drugged as he was, she doubts Kurt could have 'ported excessively far. And the Florida Keys are riddled with great places to hide (this zoo being a prime example). "Okay, Sefton," she murmurs softly in German. "Start from the beginning. What do you know?" She knows Kurt's 'comfort bamf', so to speak, is only two or three miles. The extent of his range at any given jump is 50 miles or so, max, but drugged all the hell as he was, the chances of them getting that far are slim at best. The thing is... Amanda's tried the scrying thing and it got her nowhere. Not from New York, anyway. And New York is the current seat of her power on the material plane. Which is why she now stands in the middle of the ruined circus -- in his erstwhile cell, in fact -- hands on her hips, scowling. Back to the beginning to try and retrace steps. There, on the ground, are the smears of the blood from his tail. She crouches down, pulls a small folding knife from her satchel, and carefully flakes off some of that blood from the concrete floor. Adding it to a blue potion in a small grey glass vial, she puts the stopper on it and shakes it vigorously. Then, she takes one of her little NYC concrete chips and carefully pours a few drops of the potion onto the chip. The chip trembles in her hand like a little blue snitch. A poof of magic and the chip is airborn, following the Bamfer's trail like a little hummingbird bloodhound, trying to see just where he went. Amanda slings her bag across her chest and follows swiftly. Time and tide. Two things that are a constant; well, mostly a constant, depending upon abilities. Both, at the moment, are quite natural in their ebbs and flows. That, then, being the case? There are hints to be found, most certainly! The blood smears from the cement floor are that direct link, and dried though it may be, still holds the relative 'freshness' for a proper scrying. As a result, that little chip begins its dance in the air, following the movements that perhaps Amanda will easily recall. It pauses in the air, however.. and after a moment of lingering, it begins a path out of the building to 'search' the surroundings for that bit of residual Kurtness.. whether found in his *bamf* or just.. him. Through the bigtop area again, it moves, following a path towards the docks. There.. there it sits for a long moment. Along the shoreline now is some detritus.. bits and pieces of boat.. and just beyond, a half-eaten bloated body. Amanda keeps up with the stone, occasionally kicking off and flying when the chip goes faster than she can comfortably run. She spares a glance or two for the bigtop as she sails through it. She snirks some as she does. "Amateurs." Out to the docks, then, and she's shortly hovering over the shoreline detritus as her little blue snitch circles and buzzes and generally loses any sort of trail at this point. Oh. The body's choice. Really. She grimaces and moves to inspect it and the debris about it carefully. Thank the Winding Way for magic. Because, seriously? She is NOT touching that thing. But, perhaps there's a way she can use it to get a picture of what happened here. She's no necromancer, but still. Sometimes magic can pull out leftover psychic impressions. The body looks like its had insult as well as injury. Dark patches of burns, clothes virtually torn off by explosions, and bite marks of scavengers that isn't only sharks. Bones peek through as if skin's been pulled off the body, with some muscle fibres waving in the gentle eddy. Bits and pieces of fiberglass that had been boat also have the distinct characteristics of explosion.. There is most certainly an impression that can be taken; there had been a certain blue, fuzzy tail that was wrapped about one of those forearms.. and suddenly.. gone. About the same time that said forearm disappears. BOOM! However.. that bit of chip now motionless begins a trip out over the ocean, past the docks, ignoring any inability that one may have of flying. (Thankfully that isn't the case!) The sky in Hell not only may look ominous, but the -feel- of it is enough to cause the fine fuzz on the back of Kurt's neck to rise. Offering his hand in encouragement for the pair to move wasn't for the single reason of aiding Domino's equilibrium, but for his part too. He could use the contact as he's more than a little concerned. Kurt has never landed here. Ever. But his intuition is running full speed, and the simple, single thought of 'Let's get moving' is fore in his mind. "This is the land, leibling," Kurt begins, "that thousands of years ago they attributed to Hell. While it may not technically be.." and moving under the green, sickly-lit skies isn't all that easy for him at the moment, "...und just another dimension like Limbo, it is decidedly evil." Those eyes of his glow yellow, and perhaps they may seem a touch.. different. Pausing in his step, Kurt takes a deep breath and turns to his friend and offers an encouraging smile, his hands reaching back to a necklace wrapped about his neck. His cross. "Come here, leibling.. you need this more than I." "So what you're telling me is that now would be a good time to cash in my good karma check," Domino says in an emotionless voice beside the Fuzzy Blue Bamfer. "Nice to see that having a conscience won't be my downfall, after all." Her own method of trying to deal with this bizarre, unsettling landscape starts with the sky. As in, don't look at it. Eyes forward. Just another job. What the objective is..that can come later. The end result, at least, is obvious. Get the hell out of Hell. Stopping for a moment is something which she can do. Running around in nothing more than the Zoo-issued bikini is less than ideal, her feet are starting to feel it. The reason for their hesitation, however... "Aw gees Blue, really?" Well, if they're going to stop then she wants to take stock of the situation good and proper. She'll hold still, in as much as she can while unzipping the mysterious black bag that they had been lugging around since arriving here. A pile of black straps, covered in empty holsters and sheathes. Black armor. Black boots. Black knives. Black guns. "And Domino wins with an Ace kicker," she declares with a smirk. Her gear came back to her! Amanda regards an illusory replay of the scenario... right up to the *bamf* that took the corpse's arm for an unexpected trip. Her lips purse. "Where did you go, Fuzzy?" Then, the chip starts buzzing out over the water. "Hey!" Thrusting herself forward, she follows it over the waves, scanning the water even while trying to keep an eye on the winged blue snitch stone. The little chip does make its foray over the water, showing off more bits and pieces of boat. Upon reaching the spot, it lingers there.. dancing in the air before it simply.. falls onto another boat. More broken fiberglass, and there is the stricken remains of a second boat, not very seaworthy, but due to its construction, lying fallow in the water and not at the bottom of the ocean. "This is a little more than a battle with one's concience, leibling.." Kurt offers softly. For some reason, he simply can't find his way to raising his voice in this foreign land. Kurt removes the necklace, and moves to hang it about her neck, following her as the merc leans over to check the duffelbag's contents. With all the moving, he does get that quiet *click* of the catch, and lets it hang. "There.. und what-- ah.." He offers a smile and a light shrug, those yellow eyes on the bag and that within. "Good thing I grabbed that too, ja? At least one of us has more to wear." He, too, is barefoot, but it doesn't seem to bother him all that much. All the discomfort still comes from the residual drugs in the system, and, well, that oppressive feeling of their surroundings. As Domino does dig into the bag, Kurt becomes the lookout, watching for any movement; particularly in the direction they've come. "Und, I have a small confession leibling.." he murmurs. "I actually am one of the few that.. understands Limbo. Here, well.." and he smiles tightly, "...You will need that, though while you wear it, spare a prayer for me?" Dom pauses as the clasp falls into place behind her, feeling the pendant brush against her skin. It's followed with a gentle sigh. "Not really my thing." But, she allows it to stay. If it keeps you quiet on the matter, and..she'll admit, you know more about this place than she does. Fortunately, there's plenty here which she is more than familiar with. Armed and armored, pistols rolling around hooked index fingers on their way to their respective holsters, she's starting to feel a whole lot better about this glitch in their gameplan. "You're both the reason for me being here and the reason for why I'll be able to survive here. What's our next move?" As the chip drops onto the flotsam, Amanda looks around. She floats over to the chip on its piece of fiberglass and reaches out to pick it up, putting it in a pocket. Turning in a slow circle out over the ocean, she surveys the wreckage. "He bamfed," she concludes. "But didn't reappear on this plane. That means..." Her slender brows dip together once more. It means, he's Somewhere Else. The trick, now, of course, is to figure out just where that Somewhere Else is. There are many options -- but she knows the likeliest ones are the ones that most closely relate to Kurt's individual nature. Gesturing simply before her, she opens a portal back to her apartment in the Village and flies through. As her feet touch the hardwood floor, she continues moving through the bedroom and the sizable walk-in closet she's transformed into her Inner Sanctum. "So, liebende... where the Hell are you, now," she murmurs, moving now to settle inside the meditation circle she has drawn there. Time to find out... Teleporters have so much easier lives when it comes to some things. Really, they do. And in other things? Not so much. Variables come into play that normal people would never consider.. not a day in their lives, unless they were theoretical physicists. And then, they'd be struggling with theory rather than reality. Poor things. Now, however, there is the difficulty that is faced with being a teleporter. Discovering that 'inbetween' locale of another. Logic goes so far, and then, comes luck. And intimate knowledge. As Amanda moves to the meditation circle and settles in, there are some .. pressure points that begin to push against it. Every time Kurt teleports through his given dimension, there are those that catch the residuals and would so give anything to follow the blue bamfer. Now, however, there's that subtle look.. and there is a soft pressure from without towards the magicienne, looking for a weakness.. any weakness to exploit. Here, just as in Limbo, Kurt isn't on solid ground as far as his *bamfs* are concerned. The feel of it isn't right. There's a barrier there that he can instinctively feel. There's a reason why Earth, then, isn't populated by demons? Oof. Watching Domino finish, that last pistol falling into its holster, Kurt nods his head and points to an outcropping. Beyond that, there are scrub-trees. No forest.. but instead? Gulleys, holes.. In his guard, the elf is standing straight once again, his shoulders back so that he's not slouching, his tail winding in patterns behind him. The way he stands makes him look more like a sentry mammal.. a meerkat, perhaps? The comparison can be made further, then, as his shoulders roll forward and he begins to head towards the earlier identified outcropping. "That will give us a good--" and he pauses suddenly, his head whipping about in a separate direction, those glowing yellow eyes fixated on the distance. "-- vantage point.. Now, leibling.." and he begins to head off towards the tall rocks in the distance. "They don't see us yet." Yet being the operative word. And as to who they may be? "It's like someone threw the Danger Room into a blender," Domino mutters while stepping onto a jagged rock set within the ground that crumbles into a dark rust-hued powder beneath her weight. "Or ..y'know. Mars." She's glancing Kurt's way in another moment. "This is really where you pass through whenever you teleport?" Hmm. Holes in the ground. "You guys must have some serious gophers out this way." The quick bit of motion beside her gets caught within her peripheral, ignoring the sudden urge to pass her attention back upon the Neyaphem. "That sounds like a good thing for us." What she should be focusing on is the territory around them, not him. Something which she is now doing all the more carefully, at the same moment that she questions the logic of having guns but not keeping them within her hands. Do you honestly -not- remember what happened in Limbo, Domino? Go in hot, -stay- hot. And yet, at the moment she's almost afraid to move. Or to appear more hostile, because she is definitely going to move. She's following Kurt. Amanda's astral self pushes out, stepping onto that Winding Way that is her magical legacy. There, on its astral firmament, she has a much more likely chance of identifying the subtle eddies and flows that would have been disturbed by Kurt's teleporting -- the same way a stream is disturbed by the sudden dropping of a pebble in its flow. That, and the Way has paths to many, many different planes of existence... some of them quite Hellish. "Take a deep breath, leibling. It is becoming more normal for you, ja. But in the fresh air of home? It is a bitter, acrid smell," Kurt murmurs. He doesn't turn around again to look at those in the distance, however, but he offers the word that Domino may or may not have ever heard before. "Neyaphem.." Devils. Demons. "I believe it is, ja. Und," Kurt is moving now, a little faster, and as he does, he's looking as if he's stretching out and looking a touch more fiendish in the background of the infernal land. "A place where, if things were different, perhaps I would be calling home." It's not a happy thought, nor is it something he wants to dwell upon. Ever. The outcroppings are ever closer, and it does take some doing as the landscape changes. To describe it as resembling Mars isn't far off; red and dark.. and the sickly, green lightning courses across the sky to mark some infernal process. Kurt grins now, the points of his teeth flashing in the light, "Almost there," and as they grow even closer, it's easy to tell that it's a large outcropping; one filled with places to hide, even if temporarily. "I would imagine my last *bamf* felt different to them, too." Thus, the need to potentially investigate. Which is why Kurt feels the need to put as much distance between their landing point and them. Thanks to the Winding Way, there's the opportunity to begin to search the dimensions. Still, with the scrying, there's the push back, subtle though it may be, of those little denizens of the worlds that seem to want more attention. Upon one world, then, there's a familiar feel to it.. even though Amanda may never have stepped foot in it. Ever. But, there's that tug that requires closer inspection. In that view of that world, that dimension.. it is Hell. At least all the descriptions of the infernal in the Good Book of every major religion describes it thusly. There are pits of fire, though (thankfully) not in the immediate area that is keyed upon. And that area is.. a dark, rocky plain with scrubbed trees.. an outcropping of rocks lay mile(s) beyond... That tears it. Dom's drawing her guns again. Kurt's moving with a notable sense of urgency, and she's got this feeling of eyes. All around them. A lot like Limbo in that respect. Not a good feeling. As with any other unfamiliar combat zone, she keeps herself poised low and ready for the inevitable moment of unmentionable things hitting the nearest fan. Now they're practically down in the trenches. This feels slightly more ominous. "So your glitch in the Matrix doubled as a dinnerbell to all of the resident fiends? I have absolutely no idea how you manage to stay so upbeat all this time." Almost there. Where? Where is there? "What, is there a Lost Teleport Directory we can look into or something?" Amanda's astral form drifts over to the Veil that separates the Way from the edge of Hell. It's the subtle pull of purity, of all things, that actually attracts her to that particular portal. Because pure souls radiate in Hell. And Kurt is, for all his parentage, a pure soul -- moreso than his sorcerous foster sister, truth be told. Kurt's faith is deeper than hers will likely ever be. And it protects him, oddly enough. Too, add to it Domino's luck and... well, there actually is a Chance in Hell that says Amanda will find the right world. Whispering a soft spell of passage, she pushes into the veil and slowly, ever so slowly, makes it part before her. As she emerges onto the hellish plane, her eyes scan the desolation. Seeing no immediate trouble, she murmurs another spell to clad herself in mystical armour -- just in case. Finally, she takes stock of her actual physical location and the geography that surrounds it. In the distance, there is high ground, a rocky outcrop filled with places to hide. If Kurt is anywhere in the vicinity, that'll be it. Strategically, it makes the most sense. "Leave it to you, liebende..." Kurt looks back, those glowing yellow eyes seemingly brighter in this dimension. There's fatigue in that fuzzy blue face, yes, but there's something else. An almost.. exhultation as he stretches himself. "In a way, ja. This is not an open dimension. So travel through it is not very common, but for me. But--" The blue elf is cut off mid-sentence, however, as he stops short, his head rising, his tail swishing behind him. Instinctively, it reaches out for Domino, even though there's no real chance of his teleporting. It is just.. there for the moment. "That is not good--" Or is it? Narrowing his eyes, he turns again, and actually makes his way around, ready to take Domino in tow. "Quickly!" is given before they reach the rocks. Immediately, Kurt begins to make his way up the rock face, the reason why he'd reached out for Domino becoming clearer. He wasn't going to hole up below, no. Vantage.. he wants it. Mind, if someone comes, unexpectedly, they'll be treed', but no one is going to come up without their knowing.. right? And just to be sure of that, "This will give us an idea of where we are." ''Where being relative, right? "I want to get a little farther before we stop." There's something a might unsettling about looking at the elf's face while visiting this plane. Domino's seen his eyes and fangs all the time. No problem! Around here... She's just glad they're on the same side. "Natch. What's it this time, aliens?" And is he really seeing so much more than she is? Maybe he can somehow feel it. She doesn't know. Shut up and follow the leader, this is so not the place where she wants to get stranded. Quickly. What--climbing?! But she just got her guns out again..! Oh screw it. She puts one of them away. She needs a hand free for the piton launcher strapped to one wrist. Up goes her arm, and with a Punt-ZZZZzzzz-Tok! she has herself an express way up that rocky wall. That should be quickly enough, right? Hopefully? She can't really go any faster than this. Up, up, and away, and whatnot. Amanda takes to the air, once more, knowing her own aura -- the brightness of a human soul touched by magic -- is at once a beacon and target. But, there's not a lot she can do about it and she'll move faster in the air. Besides. That cuts down on the number of critters likely to take shots at her. (She hopes.) She keeps low, yes, but she's skimming, moving quickly, heading for that outcropping and hoping against hope she'll find her friends there. As she nears, she sees a darkly armoured figure zipping up the rock face. A smile touches her lips. White skin. Black hair and armour. "Domino!" No sooner is the word out of her mouth, however, when something larger than her, sporting a pair of black dragon wings, smacks into her broadside, tangling her and plumetting with her straight toward the sharp rocks. Didn't Kurt just say That is not good? He could have sworn he did! Here, the blue-furred bamfer's got Domino up and in relative safety before the dark demon makes his appearance, only to catch that beacon of light. A soul.. and those glowing yellow eyes widen, his teeth baring as the attack comes. "Nein.. demons." Kurt can feel this dimension very much like in Limbo. But, the last time he was there, the little demons ran before him. Here, well.. the lessers, he'll have more than a sporting chance. The bigger ones? Well.. it'd be a heated battle! "You'll be safe here.." and he leaps from his spot straight down.. his dexterity coming into play as adrenaline kicks in. Leaping from the side of the tower, he catches hold of the spade tail of the neyaphem, even as it tries to right itself after the attack. The creature, the demon shrieks in anger and surprise as added weight arrives, and whatever chance the wings had in getting any lift is negated for the moment. Just like in training. As the grappeling line reels Domino up the side of the cliff she's running up alongside the jagged rocks for stability, keeping that one weapon ready just in case. She's already had to shoot herself clear of this particular toy once before, but at that point she had a car to break her fall. Someone's calling her name... That isn't Kurt. The albino looks over her shoulder, sees the only floating, shining beacon for miles, and quickly puts the pieces together. "Amanda--" WHOP! "--'s in trouble!" The winch stops short of its destination, leaving the pale woman dangling partway up the wall. A few more steps and a pull on her line arm changes her position upon the wire, legs wrapping around the line until she's hanging upside down with her back to the wall and her short, jagged hair hanging loose from her scalp. Just like that she has a proper sight picture. One hand, fast and unpredictable target, two allies to watch out for. Yeah... She's got this. It sure is helpful that modern firearm designs can operate upside down! Against the cliff face every shot slams out like a thunderclap, the matter of stealth set aside with the one obvious threat now facing the trio. "Your home town sucks, Kurt!" "Ooof!" Amanda feels the wind knocked out of her and twists in the creature's arms in an effort to escape. Were it not for the sharp fangs and glowing eyes, she'd probably have considered its 'WTF?' expression when Kurt snags its tail and dangles quite humorous. As it is, however, she's too busy trying not to get chomped. Jamming her fists against the side of its head, she lets loose a pair of full strength magical bolts. *KZZAAATTT!* POP! GLORRT! The thing's head explodes and both Amanda and Kurt are covered in black demon ichor in short order as its body falls away and Amanda reaches out for Kurt -- in case he's dragged down with it. Kurt can hear Domino's words ringing in his ears, and he would so have a witty reparte.. if he wasn't swinging on a wing'ed demon tail! Well, okay.. he's pretty sure he could come up with something. "You should meet my prom date!" The trio of them falling, plus the sharp report from the tower brings on a calvalcade of responses, not the least of them is the demon plummeting out of the sky. It's got Amanda.. Amanda!?! But, in the span of a heartbeat, there comes the bolts of pure, unadulterate magic, and the creature's head explodes, covering his furry blue body with demon guts.. dripping bits of ichor with dark furred bits of skin attached. Ew.. and he thought the forearm was bad? Kurt doesn't truly need Amanda's help in the landing, though he's a little shakey on it. As a result, he falls and rolls rather than simply landing upon his feet. Soon enough, however, he's up, and he's ready to move, his concern real. "Domino.. und.. what in the--" Beat. "Amanda?" He looks around, those glowing yellow eyes searching, and his voice rises, "There will be carrion to clean up." He needs to get Domino out of the area now. "We have to go." Wingshot. Wingshot. Right rear flank shot. POP! "Cripes, Am..! You've been holding out on me, girl!" Also: Eww. Glad I'm not in the front row for this match. Their falling is something to be concerned about. Domino can't teleport nor fly. Right now her options are 'go higher' and 'go lower.' Good thing that the others are capable enough to handle the situation. She thinks. The whole 'being covered in demon cranial squeezings' might break one's ability to concentrate, she doesn't really know. Nor does she care to know. Eww. "Now we're leaving? But I just got up this stupid --" Argh! "Yeah. Gimme a sec." She loses more pitons this way... Still hanging upside down she works the controls, descending at an entirely brisk rate until she can detach herself from the cable with a smart twitch of the lead arm, dropping last few feet and rolling to a stand. "I hope you mean 'let's go home' when you say 'we have to go.' Please tell me you mean 'let's go home.'" Besides, the other two are likely to start smelling mighty ripe without a shower, stat. No need to tell Amanda twice. She has no desire to remain in the puddle of demon goo. She shakes her head and flicks the worst of the goo away with her hands, alighting beside Kurt, even as Domino calls out to her. Her head turns, and she laughs dryly. "I don't have Wolverine's claws," she says, "But I learned a thing or two watching him..." Isn't that lovely? "And, I'm all for going home." She's not sure, however, if she can effect a portal in her astral state in a realm that's technically not well aligned with her magic. There's something about this place that's making her feel a little off-kilter, mystically speaking. She murmurs her portal spell and attempts to open one quickly, before the carrion feeders arrive. The strain shows on her face. Her hands tense and her fingers flex but... Nuthin'. After a moment, she swears in German (because swearing always sounds better in German), and glances to the others. "Easier said than done," she tells Dom. "I suspect I can leave -- I'm not physically here." Demon brains notwithstanding. "So, unless someone hardens the Veil, I think I can slip out. But, I can't open a portal... which means we need to find you guys one." There's a howl in the distance and a writhing smudge on the horizon suggests that the carrion pack may have picked up the scent. "Ok. Time to go, yes." Kurt looks up at Domino as he wipes the most egregious hunks of goo off of him. His sensabilities since arriving here have shifted a little, and goo really isn't the biggest problem that he faces, and he knows it. Those bright yellow eyes watches her progress down the outcropping before he exhales in a soft sight and looks to Amanda to make sure she's alright.. after being sure that it is truly her. Catching the beginnings of an incantation, Kurt takes a step back. Here, he can feel so much more, and the magic seems to wrap about him, making the fur on his body stand straight up. "Leibling.." and he shakes when a sudden shiver goes up his spine. It's something, however, that he seemed to feel instinctually, oddly enough. He feels.. in tune with this dimension, and it really makes him a little off-balance. He's fighting it, the effects, the overall.. wrongness of it all. When Amanda repeats his words, now virtually echoing his own thoughts, Kurt smiles wanly. He just knew they were there. "It is time to go." Turning about, he waits for Domino before he shakes his head, "Not yet, leibling.. but we will. I swear. For the time being? We have to go.. there is an outcropping way.." out there, "But we may be safe in that canyon.. find a cave for the time being. We can nap.. you first," before he looks to Amanda. "Can you find us again, leibling? To work out a portal?" Now there's three! "God, Amanda, am I ever glad to see--" -What.- Dom stops herself short, -staring- at the other woman. "You can't get us home." And then there's a demonic howl nearby. Of course. "Timing," she mutters with a tired breath. Time for a new battle plan. Kurt's the only one that seems to know where to go. Amanda seems to be the only one that stands a chance of getting them all back to the proper plane of reality. That means one logical conclusion. "Blue, you're on point. Am, check our flanks and the unfriendly skies. I've got rear guard." Now they just need to figure out a way to break free of this place. "Okay, when Illy was repairing Limbo there were breaches in the veil, or whatever the heck she called it. Point is, the 'shielding' was weakened and we had to go in to fix it. Things were escaping because of these weak points. Could we create such a fissure and slip through that way? Preferrably temporarily so we won't have to come back here on a later occasion to clean up our own mess?" There's more. There's always something more. Dom came here after pursuing someone for revenge. Total bloodlust. Now she's back in a reality that warps a person from the inside out, it gets into the brain. Back in Limbo she had something of a growing anger problem. Around this place she's starting to feel it happening all over again. Years of suppressed anger, set to simmer. Nothing but -problems- down here..! It's already got her clenching her jaw. Amanda nods to Kurt. She can find them again, now that she knows where they are. "Yes. I'll come with you, until you've found a safe bolt-hole. After that?" A tight smile touches her lips, as she moves along wit the pair -- away from the incoming monsters. She nods to Domino. "I'll go find Illyana. Between the two of us, we can find you again. Get you home." As for the fissure idea. "I'm loathe to break the Veil in any way, if we can avoid it. This place holds much greater evils than Limbo. I can feel them." Oddly enough, she feels them calling to her. To a part of her, at least. And she really doesn't like it. "If even one of them got through, however accidentally, the devastation they could wreak on the material plane is immense. I'll talk to Illyana." The place calls to Kurt too, and with every movement, every motion, he looks as if he is truly 'home', even though he's never truly stepped foot here. For longer than the beat of a heart, anyway. He's not afraid anymore of the place, certainly. It's more.. wary, and cautious, but not afraid. No. He nods in Amanda's response to his own question, acknowledging it. "Good. Illy will be of some help, but she has to be careful. You are lighting the realm.. just imagine what she will do." As she's the leader of her own dimension. "The demon here may take some exception to her being here." And the last thing he wants is for the status quo to be broken. Even by Illyana. Clearing his throat, Kurt looks to Domino, and he exhales, putting a hand upon her to see if he can't be some sort of aid in stilling her thoughts. He can guarantee that she's just running her brain. "Leibling.. if a tear comes here, it would be.. catastrophic. If what I believe this is here.. Limbo.." Beat. "In Limbo, the demons there were afraid of me.. und fell back under my approach. Here?" He shakes his head slowly, and his words come carefully enunciated. "They are much more dangerous." Turning his head, those pupil-less eyes gaze into the distance, and he begins to move, gaining speed with each step until it looks like the only way he'd go any faster is if he took all fours, his tail out behind him. "I know a place," he begins, "but don't ask me how.." He doesn't want to know, himself. Physical contact with the Blue One is something Domino is familiar with. Even when she was being all standoff-ish with the guy she never really flinched from the contact. Things are different this time. The flinch is small, but not impossible to miss. Another layer of tension washes through her frame, gripping her sidearm that much tighter. "Well I hope -someone- has an idea. Fine, so we don't tamper with the veil. You kids figure it out. I'm just gonna ... Shoot things." Maybe that will help settle her nerves some? It usually does the trick. "They'll learn to be afraid of us," she tells Kurt in a purely matter-of-fact tone. He knows somewhere to go. Good. That means they can form up and ship out. With her at the back. Alone with her twisted, vicious desires as they steadily grow. She'd rather get a grip on this one herself, anyway. Amanda's content with Domino's formation suggestion. (Always put the magic user in the middle, right?) She does, however, levitate again, simply to get a better vantage to see the approach and numbers of the incoming pack. They move quickly and look like a cross between hellhounds and a slavering raptors. "Oh, those are pretty," she quips dryly. At the speed they're moving, Dom may get her chance to vent some frustration. She can't argue with Kurt's logic about Illyana, however, specially when it's compounded with her own knowledge of the Russian girl's decidedly demonic nature. But, the Mistress of Limbo is one of the few magic users Amanda can nominally trust. (As far as she trusts any magic user, of course. Mages are, by nature, a mistrustful lot.) "Kurt, what do you know about this place?" Because he clearly knows something. There's no offense taken at Domino's flinch. He looks the part, and frankly, covered in demon goo and doesn't seem to be terribly concerned by it. Not to mention he's 3/4s naked, walking in barefeet and he's not raised complaint. It is.. what it is. That's not to mention that without all that, he's probably an eerie sight in this dimension. Indigo fur.. tail.. "Ja.. I do. To move us to a place where we can be safe for a moment und breathe in order to take stock," Kurt replies, his tones tight. Now, as he moves, he fields Amanda's question, though it's grudging. "Du fühlst sich, nicht wahr?" You don't feel it? He opens his mouth to say more, but there.. he doesn't need Amanda to tell him what's there. He knows.. and his expression turns.. combatative. "Ja.. they.. won't see us.." Until it's too late. As part of it all, Kurt swings around, and rather than running on all fours, he's down.. and low, his tail swaying, his eyes glowing. Domino will get her chance, no doubt about it. "Pretty screwed," Domino practically growls with Amanda's remark about the hounds. Having a flight-capable ally should be of some use. Though, one thing's been on her mind since they first arrived here. "Can you teleport at all, Blue?" He's quick, but he's unarmed. If he's also bamfless, things might get kinda ugly. More so than they already are. Cripes, what a mess. Then there's the cross hanging from her neck. So easy to forget about, to completely put out of her mind. She's never been a religious person, yet she also spent several years growing up in a church. It had been her home, her solace. Heck, even her protection. Now that same protection has been extended to someone she barely knows but would do anything to keep alive. Much like what Kurt did by passing the charm on to her. She's still got her part of the line in check. Don't shoot until seeing the whites of their teeth. Or yellow. Or whatever. Hell, shoot the first thing that looks at any of them funny. "C'mere boys," she taunts the hounds under her breath. "Got some tasty two hundred grain morsels for you all." "Ich fühle es," Amanda replies to Kurt softly. Yes, she can feel it. "Aber, Kurt ... Es ist ... nicht richtig." But it feels wrong to her. Powerful, enticing, but wrong. And, periodically, it sends a shiver of growing dread down her spine, whether she likes it or not. But, she trusts him. Unless (or until) he suddenly turns evil on her, she trusts him. The demonic hounds bay as they pick up the demon blood scent. They cluster around the corps, snarling and slobbering as they fight each other to rip into it. The weakest among them (weak being a highly relative term) break off from the pack and turn to follow the other scents, giving more direct chase, now, to those that flee. Kurt looks to Domino and shakes his head ever so slightly. "Nein..", but the response doesn't carry a sense of.. inability, per se. His teleporting is an enhancement to his ability to fight, however, and he's not about to admit defeat and hide just because he's got that one arm tied behind his back, as it were. He still has his tail and other arm. And feet. "Amanda.. es fühlt sich falsch und richtig.." It feels both right and wrong. And there.. there is what Kurt fully expected, and it's coming to pass. "There.." And Domino, bless her heart.. she can see them too. If they're going to get through this? Well, with his friends, he's got that feeling that it isn't a matter of 'if'. Not yet, anyway. Kurt takes a couple of steps back and shifts around in order to take on the creature, looking very much like he, himself, belongs there.. teeth, claws.. and tail. To the albino it almost feels both right and wrong, as well. Probably for different reasons. Every part of her screams 'wrong,' yet there's that darkness she's carried inside of herself that feels more like it's sitting down for a night of binge drinking with an old friend. She knows she's going to get trashed, feel positively awful, come out hating herself and all of life until she rebounds. None of that's enough to prevent it from happening, allowed to progress forward with a smile. Here comes Dom's first contestant. One slobbering creature that's all tooth, nail, and bad attitude. If this is the runt of the pack then they're in for some nasty surprises. Much like this lone wolf is. "You picked the -wrong- pack to mess with, buddy." The next shot sounds flat across the open space around them, the momentary flash of yellow a brilliant contrast to the shades of red. Right between the hound's eyes, at least if her aim is true. Which it usually is. "We might want to move a bit more quickly," she calls back to the others, quickly backstepping as the chunk of brass disappears in a small puff of red dust several feet away. Amanda relies on the classic magic user stuff, now. She calls up a serries of fireballs and starts raining merry magical hell all over the incoming hellhounds. So, at least one or two of them is going to come in yelping in pain as their fur alights. She also throws up a shield wall to start directing the hairy buggers, funneling them in to the flame and hail of bullets. The ones that get past that? (And there has got to be some.) Well, those are Kurt's toys. The first one that explodes in brain matter, well.. at least Kurt is away from the blast radius there. That, of course, in turn, brings the others loping across the desolate plain. Kurt knows what Amanda will do virtually intuitively. They've been fighting side by side for some time, and at this moment, it's a matter of funneling, though he brings up his warning, "Don't let her use all her ammunition..". They may need it later. Though the thought ends there as the couple veer off. Does Kurt smell like the weakest link? He isn't, by any stretch, and before the animal that looks very much like a really, really ugly warg in fantasy novels can spring, the blue elf is doing just that. He's up, his hands raking at the creature's neck, using his tail to lash on and give him purchase. The next second, the bamf-less bamfer has the creature on the ground, and he's got his hand on it's throat.. avoiding any attempt at its biting or thrashing with the feet. It's only a second longer before the creature ceases.. and soon enough, it's evident.. as Kurt's hand drips with blood. Lingering, however, is not in their best interests. And with the dead animals, they'll have to move even further afield so they're not picked up on.. and rising, his tail swishes in agitation, his eyes bright. "Keep going after these are dead." There's fire, there's brimstone, there's demons and hellhounds. It's a party! There's also that whole matter of ammo conservation, isn't there. Magic users have it so easy! And people like Iceman. X-23 and Wolverine. Hell, Dom's really kind of alone within her sphere amongst the other mutants. What can she do? Be crazy, and get away with it. As one of the hounds comes charging her way she's twisting around in the air and slinging a matte black knife into the back of its neck. Packing light makes sense when trying to steal a car. Had she of known they'd end up in this realm she would have brought some bigger party favors. Luckily, she does have blades to spare. They're reusable, too. "Kurt!" she calls out before another weighted blade zips through the air, sticking into the hide of the beast he just felled. Not that he -needs- it, but..y'know. It does help. Closest thing she has to a sabre today. Heeding Kurt's words, despite Domino's spectacular kill ratio, Amanda snaps her shield closed around the remainder of the pack, trapping them within the dome. Her eyes glow a wicked magenta, energy seeping off the edges. In a bold voice that sounds frighteningly like her mother's, she calls out a spell and gestures to remaining hounds. There's a *FWOOSH!* and their fur ignites in a rush of white flame, burning brightly, scorching hot. The earth blackens and cooks beneath the monsters, as Amanda drifts toward the ground, very nearly stumbling as she alights. Using magic here, she's discovering takes more energy than her spirit is used to, though she can still draw some from where her body sits in New York. But, even she must conserve her 'ammunition', it seems. "Let's just keep moving," she says a trifle breathlessly, remaining on foot between them, now. It's a party! And one of the guests of honour happens to be a demon. On the 'right' side. Pulling himself up from the kill, Kurt catches the *KTHNK* of the knife sticking into the corpse of the fell creature. He grins, showing fangs, and pulls the blade from its spot. "I will be king hereafter!" is quoted, the smile still playing. At least it's still Kurt in there! "Danke!" As he moves away, now, the elf is ready to lead the way once again.. to put as far a distance between the kills and them as they possibly can. Like the savannah, there are scavengers, and .. there are hunters. Even though he's never stepped foot in the place for longer than a half heartbeat, there are things that he just.. knows he doesn't want to come across. More.. sentient creatures here. "Leiblingen.." Ha! Plural! "Conserve now, please.. we have to move.. und when we have a spot.." Then, they can take stock. Actually stop and talk with Amanda, work out what they'll do on either side.. and make things easier for the other. Domino still doesn't like magic. Amanda's next demonstration proves -why.- The bulky pistol in her one hand slowly droops as the rest of the hounds are hauled together and torched as a package deal, leaving very little behind but a godsawful smell. Alright, clearly that took something out of her. But -still!- "Nice to know you can do that," she absently calls back while switching out magazines. Looks like she's roughin' it with honed steel for a time. Oh. -Darn.- "Lead on, Fangus von Bamfus. How're you holding up, Magic 'Manda?" Yeah yeah. Never sit still. Keep moving. The Danger Room's kicked her butt once because of that. Once had been enough. Still, she's daydreaming of making a stand with something belt-fed and something else capable of launching high explosive shells a very great long ways away. Did they offer season passes to this playground, by chance? "I can't bring this much fire to bear back on Earth," Amanda tells Dom ruefully, overlooking the pun. "Magic flows much more easily here than there." A beat. "Especially darker magics." Killing magics. The fire in and of itself? Not bad. Immolating creatures? Very bad. The Universe does pay attention to intent. There's a reason she normally doesn't advocate killing. But in this realm? It's so easy. In fact, she could argue the land likes it. But, she doesn't. Even so... Fangus von Bamfus?!? Amanda blinks, and it sounds like she gets something caught in the back of her throat when she swallows the guffaw that threatens at that. "Nice," she murmurs. Then, however, it's all back to business and she's moving with the other two closer and closer toward safety. Kurt can empathize with what Amanda says, he can. And, looking back at her, he can see it in her eyes.. those words unspoken but there all the same. It is so very easy; the bamfer knows it, and can feel that tug. With each step, his heart beats in the potential of joining with this demon energy that surrounds him. He can hear his mother's voice so very plainly, exhorting him to let it in. But really? What self-respecting demon would allow a nickname like 'Fangus von Bamfus'? Guess Kurt is still on this side of the line! He grins at the nickname, his tail swishing as he begins to head off again.. bounding off. He's got the knife now, held by his tail to avoid any potentially embarrassing issues if he tries to set it on his hip and have it cut through what fabric there is. It's held by his tail. The gully was going to be their rest, but the creatures are too close, and their scent will travel. Now, it'll be a couple of miles out to another outcropping, though those in the distance appear to be slightly grouped. Might.. be interesting! "But you can do it around here, which is nothing short of impressive," Domino counters. Area of effect weaponry, can't go wrong. Except in hostage situations. The compliment may be unexpected, though it's never ignored. "I do what I can." Like with their current situation. Things are still far from ideal. That means trying harder. "Kurt, do you know of any tunnels we could lose these guys in? Am's got ..we've got Amanda, and I've got some party poppers. Bring the whole roof down, whether between them and us or on top of them." Not that she stops running at any point. Much running is involved. She'd just love to have somewhere safe and quiet to relax for a while. Catch her breath. Clean her guns. Seriously, they fell into the hands of someone else. Having an extra set of prints on one's weaponry never hurts, but knowing the people that handled her gear? Think she'd rather be covered in demon brain with the other two. Two miles is... what? A good 10 minutes' run for people in good shape, as they are? Maybe a little less. Even so... "Hang on," she says as they enter the gully. She moves to grab some of the scrub brush and pile it in front of the easiest way down -- pretty much exactly on their trail. Then, she whispers a spell over it. The scrub grows and expands, becoming a thorny wall that cuts off the upper part of the embankment almost entirely. Those hellhounds won't get through it in a hurry. (Particularly when, once triggered, the thorny tendrils reach out to choke and pierce their furry throats.) "Okay," she says, once the trap is set. "Let's move." "Tunnels.." Kurt pauses as Amanda does her thing, looking back and watching her work. He draws a breath and his tail twitches, the knife dancing with it. "We may not want to go underground, leibling.." he warns. "Up, ja.." The efforts, however, are successful, at least by his standard, and undoubtedly Amanda's, and he smiles when it's completed. "Perfect.. it will keep them, und a few others at bay, giving us time." Because really, all that's needed is fair warning. But, as they're in the gully, well.. caves will be the thing. He doesn't want to go too deeply. After all, he won't be able to get them back out safely, and due to years of cheating? Physical mazes just aren't his 'thing'. A smile creases his face, and a grin lifts it. "Pick an entrance, Domino.. just one." She may not like magic, but Dom's really starting to appreciate that Amanda likes magic, because really. How cool is that? When's the last time a shrub did so much for her? Suddenly that line from Monty Python starts to make more sense. "Not sure that we need the tunnels anymore with her covering our collective backsides, but if you're going to insist..." Hell hasn't mucked up her luck any, has it? Not so far. May as well run with it. That is what she does, after all. Eenie, meenie--'' "That one," she points out, completely breaking her own chain of thought for a cave entrance that was nowhere near being next in line. "You think that's something, you should see me on The Price is Right." Or Vegas. They ''really hate her in Vegas. Finding a place to hide, and fortify, really is a priority in Amanda's mind. She wants to know the pair are safe before she retreats back to her own body. Because they won't have the advantage of her 'arsenal' when she's gone. "I'' insist," she tells Dom. "Choose some place secure." At random. Using luck. Awesome! Dom has her own kind of magic, the way Amanda sees it. "Next time I buy a lottery ticket, I'll remember to bring you. Particularly for Powerball." Kurt turns around to walk backwards, looking at Domino. "Unless you are not allowed to play. On the ''list?" As if! He is well aware why he asked the albino to pick a spot. And there, she's gone and picked one that wasn't even in the running.. initially. It's magic, certainly, and it's something that is honing his skills as well. Danger Room could never, ever account for such a thing as what she possesses. "Secure.. und.. there." Kurt laughs and begins to make his way towards the opening further down. "It might actually be alright for the time." There's a toothy grin passed back to the pair in reply. "They can't keep up with all of my aliases." Not that she exploits that. Anymore. She has her own reasons, though it's nice to know that if it came down to it she would never be broke. "Fantastic. Let's kick back, break out a few cold ones, and phone in a pizza. And some lye for you two to bathe in. Man, Hell is really depressing." Who knew! "Hell stinks," Amanda retorts, adding a chuckle as the finally make it to safety. She purses her lips slightly, considering. If she can conjure fire out of nothing, can she do the same for water? Eh. Maybe it's better not to risk flooding them out. Instead looks at Kurt. "Hold still. Let me try something." She holds her hands up and regards him. Her eyes narrow in concentration. Murmuring a soft spell, she puts a sheild around his body -- she's really good at shields -- and expands it. The demon goo is slowly lifted from his skin until it slides off the shield into a pile on the ground. "Wow," she says with a blink then. "Score one for the magic boost." Closing her eyes, then, she does the same thing with her own goo. Once it's all on the ground, she whispers a final spell and the stuff flares up incandescently for about ten seconds, the ash blowing away when the flame burns out. "So," she says then, back to business. "This realm, Kurt. Is this your bamf realm? Is that why we're here?" "You are never happy, are you.. bamfing stinks. This realm stinks.." Kurt teases. He crouches down, finally, his back against rock, and his tail slung around, his knife resting beside him now. A grin is given for Domino, and he shrugs lightly, "It would only be depressing if the only game to play would be 'I spy'.. you know.. 'I spy with my little eye something.. 'red'..'" Beat. "Dirt!" Looking back up at Amanda, his brows rise. "Try.. something.." and with the shield coming into play, the.. disgusting goo is removed from his body.. and dumped into a pile. "Now we have to clean that up," comes as a complaint. "But, still.. danke, leibling." Before too much longer, however, it's effectively incinerated, which gains a bright smile from the elf. "Better." The question, however, brings his full attention around, the knife lifted off the dirt so it doesn't dull the edge. "This realm.. ja. It is the same one. It is mine. Somewhere, near as I can think, I had an incomplete bamf.. und rather than bringing us all the way through, it brought us only half-way." "It does indeed stink," Domino agrees without hesitation. "At least we can acclimate to that part. Oh--is this a 'pick a noun' stinks party? Because I could add a few items to that list." Then there's a sudden moment of serious contrast as she -laughs- at Kurt's remark. Yep, it's still good old Mister Wagner in there! Well she can't -always- be expected to come up with fun little nicknames for everyone. For the next display of power she has nothing more to say, watching the gunk go then get incinerated. That's worth a second round of "Wow. Starting to feel out of my league, here." "And now we're stuck," she concludes while taking a personal inventory of what managed to find its way along for the trip with them all. Even in the dirt (of which she attempts to brush the most loose of it aside) she keeps her gear nice and organized with a level of detail that most people simply wouldn't care about. "So we need to find a way to jumpstart you into getting us another half-bamf. Don't suppose that's something you can pull with your magic, Am?" "Maybe..." Amanda replies to Domino. "I could try?" She looks at Kurt, somewhat unsure how to do this. "Maybe we need to re-energize you." Her head cants. "No. Get the drugs out of your system. You looked hungover in that cell." She smiles. "Healing spells, I can do." And do well, though the nature of this realm might work against her. Nonetheless, it's worth a try. She closes her eyes and lays her hands on Kurt's shoulders, murmuring her healing spell softly, letting the energy flow through her to cleanse the drugs from the elf's system. "There you are..." The voice is sibilant and soft, hardly above a whisper. And it is not coming from Amanda. Rather, it seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "I knew I felt a disturbance. Demon blood or no, this is not your father's realm, magicienne. Nor are your mother's magicks welcome here. BE GONE!" There is a crack of thunder and a flash of black-and-purple shadow. It sounds like cross between a thunderous BAMF and the crack of a cannon as Amanda, her eyes wide open in shock and sudden fear, is invisibly pulled from Kurt and flung past Dom toward the mouth of the cave where... she simply disappears. Kurt remains crouched, his back against the wall, ever so mindful that the knife really needs to stay clean.. ish. If not, well, he'll owe her a new one. When they get home. His brows rise at the suggestion that he can be 'jumpstarted', and he barks a laugh at the image it conjures. "Battery und cables, ja? Where is Magneto when you truly need him? All I need do is piss him off enough for him to slam me against the wall. If I survive, then I'll be fine. If I do not, well.." He offers a very European shrug at the end of it as if to say, 'Ah well'.. Amanda's attempt, however, does gain his attention, and Kurt looks up at his lifelong friend and rolls his head forward, offering up a silent prayer that it works. Never know if a prayer can be heard in hell, but it certainly doesn't stop him. Perhaps, however, it's not the smartest thing to do- in hindsight. Here, feeling a little better, he can feel the remnants of the drugs beginning to be broken up, and he doesn't feel quite as lethargic as he had. That's the good part. The bad? The voice might as well be booming for all Kurt catches. It surrounds him, echoing in his ears, and those glowing eyes go wide. He reaches out for Amanda, trying to hold on to her.. but it is as if she is sucked out of existance.. their immediate existance in the blink of an eye. Rising from his spot on the ground, Kurt sounds truly anguished, "AMANDA!" and would go after her; rising to do just that. How could he know that she may be perfectly fine home, in her circle? Domino got a maybe. That's better than she had counted on, truth be thought. "Shoulda used Energizers, Blue," she teases with a wry smirk. "Yeah, I think they gave him three times the standard dose or something. Really took it hard." And the party has a healer. Now I'm having flashbacks to Diablo 2. If Amanda wants to work her magic once again, she's just going to stay out of the way and keep quiet. At least, that's the plan. Looks like things don't go according to plan for anyone in this cozy little cave. "What the bloody Hell?!" she yelps, suddenly back on her feet with two weapons in hand that happen to still be in one piece, and loaded. (Never field strip your full arsenal at once, kids!) One need not be magically inclined to feel the energy at play here, yanking Amanda in her entirety right out of the cave with what would seem to be no real effort at all. "Hey..! We're not done with her yet, asshole!" Kurt's aiming to blitz. "Wait, hold up! Do you know where she went?" Don't fuggin' leave -me- here! What's that thing about Hell, again..? Oh yeah! It sucks. It also doesn't play fair. Category:Log